{"product_id":"straight-man-9780375701900","title":"Straight Man","description":"\u003cb\u003eHilarious and true-to-life, witty, compassionate, and impossible to put down, \u003ci\u003eStraight Man\u003c\/i\u003e follows Hank Devereaux through one very bad week in this novel from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of \u003ci\u003eEmpire Falls\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cb\u003e- Now the AMC Original Series \u003ci\u003eLucky Hank.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWilliam Henry Devereaux, Jr., is the reluctant chairman of the English department of a badly underfunded college in the Pennsylvania rust belt. Devereaux's reluctance is partly rooted in his character--he is a born anarchist--and partly in the fact that his department is more savagely divided than the Balkans. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the course of a single week, Devereaux will have his nose mangled by an angry colleague, imagine his wife is having an affair with his dean, wonder if a curvaceous adjunct is trying to seduce him with peach pits, and threaten to execute a goose on local television. All this while coming to terms with his philandering father, the dereliction of his youthful promise, and the ominous failure of certain vital body functions. In short, \u003ci\u003eStraight Man\u003c\/i\u003e is classic Russo--side-splitting, poignant, compassionate, and unforgettable. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLook for Richard Russo's new book, \u003ci\u003eSomebody's Fool\u003c\/i\u003e, coming soon.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRICHARD RUSSO is the author of eight novels; two collections of stories; and\u003ci\u003e Elsewhere, \u003c\/i\u003ea memoir. In 2002 he received the Pulitzer Prize for \u003ci\u003eEmpire Falls, \u003c\/i\u003e which like \u003ci\u003eNobody's Fool \u003c\/i\u003ewas adapted to film, in a multiple-award-winning HBO miniseries.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50615718871314,"sku":"9780375701900","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_5a4deb85-73ac-4295-bb3b-e654558d3ac9.jpg?v=1732498799","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/straight-man-9780375701900","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}